Envelop.



PATBNTED MAY 7, 1907.

J. A. DUGLAS.

BNVELOP.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 5, 190e.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

Specification or Letters latent.

Patented may 7, 1907.

Application med Maya, 1906. serai Np. 315,365.

To-(LZZ- whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. DoUoLAs, a citizen of the United States of Amerlca, re-

siding at Yates Landing, in the county of Pulaski and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Envelops, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mailing envelops, the object of the same Abeing to provide a simple and inexpensive construction of envelop which cannot be tamperedfwith for Withdrawal of the contents thereof without detection.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a rear viewoic4 an envelop embodying my invention as it appears when completelyA sealed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the partially sealed envelop as it appears before the insertion of the tongue. Fig. 3 isa plan view of the envelop with parts outspread and with the inner sealing or protective sheet in position. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the body or the sealing sheet turned up to admit the letter sheet. Fig. 5 is a central section through the sealed envelop.

The envelop may be of .conventional form and any of the conventional sizes, and comprises in its main structure a body or front portion 1, rear bottom and end flaps 2 and 3 and a sealing iiap 4. A These flaps are gummed ontheir inner faces, as shown at5, and the flap 2 is provided with a slit 6 for the passage of a tongue Fi'formed upon the center of the flap 4, the said tongue being'gummed onboth its inner and outer races, the outer gummed portion being indicated at-7. In conjunction with the envelop as thus formed, I pro- .vide an innerfsealing or protective sheet 8 coextensive in size with the body 1 and adapted to be inclosed with the letter sheet in the envelop. This sheet 8 is formed-at its upper edge with secu/ring tabs 9 turned over upon the front thereof and provided with gummed edges 10 to secure'theV same tov the back of the lbody or front 1.

In using the improved envelop, the tabs 9 are rst secured to the body 1, the letter sheet applied against the body and tabs and the-sheet 8 turned down. over the back of the letter sheet from the position shown in Fig. 4,

after which the 'end flaps 3 are turned over upon` and gummed to the back ofthe sheet 8, thevbottom sealing fiap 2 turned over upon and gummed to said lend flaps, and the sealing Il ap 4 turned down and secured, In sealingthe flap 4 the inner gummed surfacesy thereof are moistened to fasten the same to the flaps 2 and 3 and the inner face of the tongue 7 to the back of`the sheet 8, and the outer gummed surface 7 of the tongue is also moistened to secure it to the inner surface of the flap 2, it being understood that after the gummed surfaces of the flap 4 are moistened y the body of -the flap is turned over upon the back of the envelop, the tongue 7 inserted through the slit 6 and pressure exerted to .cause the gummedl surfaces to adhere to the parts they engage. It vwill thus be apparent that the letter sheet will-be com letely inclosed andgprotected exceptat tlIie-,ends of the envelop, and that the vflaps cannot -be unsealed 4by steaming or Vother processes or the ends of the envelop opened Without giving visual evidence of the fact that the envelop has been tampered with. y

The ends flaps 3 are preferably of triangular form or otherwise so constructed that when folded and secured to the protective sheet their lower edges will be' spaced sufH- ciently to allow the inner'face of the tongue 7 to come incontact-with a ortion of the sheet. If desired; sealing wax or vany other sealing medium may be applied to the `ilap 4 at its point of junction-With the tongue .7, as, for

instance.at 11 so that it may be secured to the exposed rear portion of the protective sheet above the upper edges of the end flaps, thus obtaining additional security, y

lHaving thus described the invention, what I claim is: f y.

The herein described safety envelop comprising a body, a protective sheet substantially coextensive in size with the body, said sheet being secured at its upper edge to the body so as to be turned down upon the back of the inclosure to confine the same between said lsheet and the body, end iiaps adapted to be gummed to the rear surface of the turned down protective sheet, said flaps being cut away at theirlower edges to provide an interv vening space through which a portion of the back of said sheet is'exposed, a bottom flap gummed for attachment .to the folded end iiaps and provided with a central transverse slot adapted to register with the upper portion Vof saidI space, and a top sealing flap adapted to be turned down upon and secured to the end and bottom flaps, said sealing Hap being formed with a central tongue for insertion through said slot `to lie against the inner IOC IIO

surface of the bottom fia and against theek- 1 used rear surface of t e protective sheet EetWeen the spaoedportions of the end fla s, f said tongue bein gnmmed on both sides or f 5 attachment to t e portions of; the bottom v Witnessesz.

flaps and protective sheet against Whiehit bears.

@n presenzev of two Witnesses; i

' 'JAMES A. DOUGLAS.

THOMAS E. EoHoLs, P. BILLINGSLY.

In testimony whereof, vItat-lx my signatureA 

